Ex Tenebra ad Lucem

ECTOPLASMOSIS! » Cthulhu Cthursday: Happy Birthday H.P. Lovecraft

Posted by Ross Rosenberg

“The only thing I can say in favour of my work is its sincerity.”

— H.P. Lovecraft from “Some Notes on a Nonentity”

Today marks the 119th anniversary of the birth of Howard Phillips Lovecraft, one of the twentieth century’s more contentiously influential authors; praised and maligned in equal measure for his writing prowess. I feel it is safe to say that we here at Ectomo have no such qualms; embracing Lovecraft’s propensity for long strings of thesaurus rustling adjectives with a fervor that borders on obsessive or, at times, unreadable.

Still, it is a tactic, this picking apart of Lovecraft’s verbal acumen, that I find misguided and shortsighted. H.P.L.’s work isn’t read today and cited by authors and scholars for his abilities as a wordsmith, he is cited for his creation; for his specific universe. He was one of the great mythologizers of the modern era, creating a pantheon of gods who represented the cold, infinite, and malevolent universe in which man finds himself. It’s a testament to his talent that so many still continue to be inspired by his creations and add their own stories. Today we salute the man who gave names and forms to the mysterious, unknowable nature of the void; the man if not for whom there would be no Cthursday. Happy birthday.